Traveling to Egypt and flying to Cairo International Airport and wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card on arrival? This is the ultimate guide with everything you need to know about buying a sim card for your trip to Egypt on arrival at Cairo International Airport.
Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per August 2024, my recommendation, the best eSIM cards for Egypt, a vlog about my arrival at Cairo Airport, info about international sim cards and more.
My continuously trip around the world since 2012 never got me to country of the Pharaos, but since I started my journey to visit every country in the world I finally decided to travel to Egypt.
One of the first things I do when I get to a new country is finding the best ways to get connected. Mostly that is nowadays getting an eSIM on the internet, but depending on the length of my stay I also still buy local prepaid sim cards sometimes.
As I also love to document all my travel tips for other travelers I already wrote more than 200 sim card guides from all around the world: Hurghada, Ethiopia, Nairobi, Israel, Lebanon, Istanbul, Italy, Greece, USA, Thailand, United Kingdom, New York, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, China, Australia, Vietnam and of course a complete guide for finding the best Egypt prepaid sim card.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM card advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money when traveling!
RELATED: 8 Best Hotels with Views of the Pyramids of Giza.
Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Cairo Airport are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Why buying a sim card at Cairo Airport
First of all, buying a local prepaid sim card in Egypt is the cheapest AND best way to stay connected, but there are many more reasons I recommend you to get a local prepaid sim card for Egypt or an eSIM card if you want to make it easy for yourself.
Did you know that overseas data plans limit their internet speed? You will mostly be roaming on 3G! We are already in 2024, we want 5G! Although unfortunately there is no 5G yet in Egypt.
Also a reminder that public WiFi is an UNSECURED network, so you don't want to rely on WiFi either. On top of that free public WiFi is no guarantee that it is actually working or that it is even fast enough to upload a video.
Last but not least, life is simply much easier with a data connection and so is traveling in Egypt with internet on your phone. Think about ordering an Uber. Yes, there is Uber in Cairo and you can order one straight away from Cairo Airport to the city center for less than $10 USD.
Or what about finding nearby restaurants or rooftop bars, looking up info about a historical site you are looking at or simply getting directions from Google Maps.
Anyway, as you might have seen in my vlog, buying a sim card at Cairo Airport takes just a couple minutes, is very simple and done fast! Or if you prefer an eSIM card for Egypt then you don't even need to buy a sim card at Cairo Airport anymore as you are already online as the plane lands.
Related: Best Views Over The Nile River | Fairmont Nile City Hotel Cairo.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport. Vodafone has the best 4G/LTE network in Egypt and great prepaid sim card deals for tourists. Prepaid sim cards are very affordable in Egypt and Vodafone simply has the strongest network.
Buying a tourist sim cards at Cairo Airport is slightly more expensive than in a phone store in the city, but it is worth it getting connected instantly on arrival.
Check out my complete guide for buying a sim card for Egypt in 2024, including more detailed info about the best 4G network in Egypt in 2024. But in reality you save just a couple bucks.
You can NOT buy an eSIM in Egypt, none of the mobile internet providers in Egypt offer eSIMs, only physical prepaid sim cards. If you have a phone that only accepts eSIMs then check out Traveltomtom's complete guide for the best eSIM for Egypt in 2024.
Another great alternative is an international sim card with coverage in Egypt. These travel sim cards are convenient as they are pre-activated and will be send to your home address before your trip. Check out our list of the best international prepaid sim cards for 2024 and pick the one that suits your trip the best.
Best eSIM for Egypt
By far the easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Cairo in 2024 is an eSIM card. You arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. No more swapping physical sim cards and visiting a sim card shop.
You order an eSIM card for Cairo on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an Egypt eSIM card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Cairo it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Make sure your phone is eSIM compatible before ordering an eSIM card for Egypt.
On arrival in Egypt you can NOT get an eSIM via one of the mobile internet operators. They only provide physical prepaid sim cards for tourists in phone stores in Egypt. There are NO eSIMs in Egypt as of August 2024.
There are several eSIM card providers that offer Egypt eSIMs like: Jetpac, Sim Local, Airalo, SimOptions, Nomad, Holafly, etc. Here is a small selection of recommended eSIMs for traveling in Egypt.
Fact is that eSIM cards for Egypt are more expensive than local prepaid sim cards. Check out all my FAQ's about using eSIM cards for traveling to Cairo in my complete guide about the best eSIM for Egypt in 2024.
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue.
Have a look at the Airalo eSIM card plans for Egypt for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $7 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $12.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $17.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $26.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $44 USD
Click here to directly order an Egypt eSIM card via Airalo.
The above Giza Mobile eSIM cards for Egypt are data-only and only valid in Egypt. Incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. The Giza Mobile eSIM cards from Airalo operate on the Orange 4G/LTE network, 5G is not supported.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another very trusted eSIM card provider. They offer local eSIMs for Egypt as well as international eSIM cards that are valid in up to 123 countries around the world, including Egypt.
Here are all the SimOptions data-only eSIM plans for Egypt for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.90 USD
- 3 GB data for 15 days = $12.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 15 days = $19.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $37.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $39.90 USD*
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $59.90 USD
- 30 GB data for 30 days = $85.90 USD
* The Orange Holiday World eSIM is valid in 123 countries
Click here to order an international eSIM card for Egypt via SimOptions.
The Orange Holiday World eSIM is only available online, not in the Orange sim card shop at Cairo Airport.
You can now also order the Orange Holiday World eSIM via Sim Local for just $35.50 USD.
And on top of that Traveltomtom readers get an extra 15% off on all Sim Local eSIMs when you use the coupon code: TRAVELTOMTOM at check out!
Before ordering an eSIM card for Egypt make sure your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked. Otherwise an eSIM card will not work on your phone.
For a more detailed guide about using eSIM cards for Egypt check out my article with a comparison of the best eSIM cards for traveling to Egypt, including all FAQ questions about eSIM cards and more Egypt eSIMs from: Jetpac, Nomad, Holafly, Sim Local, etc.
Where to buy a prepaid sim card at Cairo International Airport
The 4 main mobile internet operators in Egypt are: WE, Vodafone, Orange and Etisalat. All of them have stores at Cairo Airport. However, be aware that they are located at the luggage belts and NOT in the arrival hall like usually.
This means that if you want to buy a sim card at Cairo Airport you will have to do it BEFORE you pass the last customs check.
But don't worry you can't miss the kiosks as while waiting at the luggage belt they are clearly visible, see my vlog.
To show you where to go exactly and how easy it is to get a prepaid sim card for Egypt I recorded a sim card vlog for you.
Vodafone, WE and Etisalat are located at luggage belt 4 and 5 and Orange is at luggage belt 1.
All the sim card shops are open 24 hours and you can use your credit card to buy a sim card for Egypt. American Express cards are NOT accepted, only Visa and Mastercard, or cash in Euros and Dollars.
Sim card registration in Egypt
When buying a sim card at Cairo Airport you only need to show your passport. At the kiosk they take a copy of your passport as well as a copy of your Egypt visa including the entry stamp. Then they will register your new Egypt sim card on your name. You don't need a fingerprint or a passport size photo like in many other African countries.
The registration process takes just a few minutes and your new Egypt sim card will be activated on the spot. Traveltomtom recommends to ALWAYS put the new sim card in your phone and see if it is working before you walk away from the shop.
Prices Egypt sim cards at Cairo Airport in 2024
All the sim card shops basically offer a free prepaid sim card for Egypt, meaning they do not charge an extra registration fee.
All the info below is updated for August 2024 and are in Egyptian Pounds: $1 USD = 49.325 EGP and 100 EGP = $2.03 USD.
We
For the WE Egypt prepaid sim cards for tourists see the above picture.
Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a WE prepaid sim card for your trip to Egypt. WE is the smallest mobile internet provider and has a much smaller 4G/LTE network in Egypt. As soon as you leave Cairo you will start having connection issues. Trust me a WE sim card is not worth it for traveling to Egypt.
Check out my complete guide for the best prepaid sim card for tourists in Egypt in 2024 for more details and a comparison of the 4G/5G mobile data network coverage maps of all the mobile internet providers in Egypt and you will understand Traveltomtom does not recommend a WE sim card.
Vodafone Egypt
Vodafone offers 2 tourist sim card packages and so called flex lines that include units that equal MBs. All prepaid sim card plans are valid for 28 days.
Tourist Lines
- 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes = 505 EGP - $10 USD
Flex Lines
- 11.5 GB data = 320 EGP - $6.5 USD
- 14 GB data = 392 EGP - $8 USD
- 16 GB data = 420 EGP - $8.5 USD
- 19 GB data = 463 EGP - $9.5 USD
- 24.5 GB data = 542 EGP - $11 USD
- 33 GB data = 656 EGP - $13.5 USD
- 44.5 GB data = 799 EGP - $16 USD
- 62 GB data = 942 EGP - $19 USD
Facebook and WhatsApp is unlimited with a Vodafone prepaid sim card.
The Flex Lines work a little complicated as there are so called 'Super Apps', basically social media: Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. but NOT YouTube and TikTok.
In case you use one of the Super Apps then the use of 1 MB equals 0,5 unit. That means if you would only use these social media apps you basically get double data.
Browsing the internet, using YouTube, 1 minute calling or 1 text also equals 1 unit and you are free to use the units exactly as you want to and therefore these Vodafone Egypt prepaid sim card plans are called: Flex Lines.
Orange Egypt
Orange offers 6 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists that are valid for 30 days.
Be careful... what is displayed is NOT your exact Gigabyte allowance. The Orange Egypt prepaid sim card plans are a bit misleading if you ask me.
Orange also uses 'Super Apps' (social media): Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. However, in this case 1 MB equals 1 MB for these apps and all other apps 1 MB = 2 MB. So if using only Youtube then this package only contains just 8 GB instead of 16 GB.
The cheapest Orange prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport is 280 EGP = $5.5 USD. You get around 9.6 GB data, plus or included 3 GB data for Facebook. I tried to let the guy explain me, but he just kept talking around the bush and not giving me an exact answer!
Sorry Orange Egypt. That is way too complicated. And the last thing I want is to advice travelers to get an Orange prepaid sim card and then end up with much less data then initially expected. Please Orange Egypt, keep it simple for tourists. Now I feel like the prepaid sim card plans are deceiving.
Etisalat Egypt
Etisalat offers the 7 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists at Cairo Airport, all valid for 1 month:
- 6.75 GB data + 60 minutes = 194 EGP - $4 USD
- 8.75 GB data + 60 minutes = 222 EGP - $4.5 USD
- 11.5 GB data + 60 minutes = 265 EGP - $5.5 USD
- 15 GB data + 60 minutes = 322 EGP - $6.5 USD
- 20 GB data + 60 minutes = 394 EGP - $8 USD
- 25 GB data + 60 minutes = 458 EGP - $9.5 USD
- 50 GB data + 60 minutes = 637 EGP - $13 USD
Best prepaid sim card for Egypt at Cairo Airport
Traveltomtom has rated Vodafone as the best mobile internet provider in Egypt based on a full research, see my article buying a prepaid sim card for Egypt in 2024.
Orange prepaid sim card plans are very complicated to understand and pretty deceiving as the total amount of Gigabytes fluctuates based on your usage. Not recommended!
Etisalat prepaid sim cards for tourists are cheaper than Vodafone and Orange. But is Etisalat recommended? Traveltomtom tested an Etisalat sim card in Cairo and also in Hurghada and was very disappointed with the 4G/LTE network coverage: weak signal, slow data speed.
We sim cards are the last recommended internet provider to use as their network is even weaker than Etisalat.
Therefore Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport. As of August 2024 they have a prepaid sim card deal with 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes for 505 EGP, which is around $10 USD. Traveltomtom rates Vodafone as the best sim card for Egypt in 2024.
And what about eSIM cards for Egypt? Definitely the best way to stay connected! As soon as you land in Cairo you have a working data connection on your phone and you don't need to worry anymore about buying a sim card on arrival at Cairo Airport anymore.
Downside of Egypt eSIMs? More expensive than local prepaid sim cards.
Traveltomtom recommends an Orange Holiday World eSIM for Egypt with 10 GB data. It is only available online, not in the Orange sim card shop at Cairo Airport.
You can order it via SimOptions for $39.90 USD or at Sim Local for $35.50 USD.
Traveltomtom readers now get 15% off every eSIM with the discount code: TRAVELTOMTOM. So that means $30.20 USD only for the Orange Holiday World eSIM at Sim Local.
Buying a prepaid sim card for Egypt online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Egypt online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Egypt with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Egypt, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
Via SimOptions you are able to order a pre-activated international physical sim card for Egypt:
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Egypt via SimOptions.
Also a last reminder that if your phone is eSIM compatible you can easily stay connected with an Egypt eSIM card. You order them directly online.
With an eSIM card you keep your own phone number from home. Check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Egypt in 2024 including a complete guide with answers to all FAQ about using eSIMs.
My experience buying a sim card at Cairo Airport
My first time traveling to Cairo it took me about an hour to figure out all the sim card information, prices and details for this article and of course filming my vlog. At that time I had no clue what was the best mobile internet provider in Egypt and I bought an Etisalat sim card as the staff was very nice and patient with me.
There is free WiFi at Cairo Airport, but at that time I could NOT connect to it. I wanted to look up the mobile internet network coverage in Egypt for all the mobile internet providers.
As that wasn't possible, I had to believe what they told me, but all mobile internet providers of course told me that their network was great. Since Etisalat was offering the best sim card deals at that time, I decided to go with them.
But I wrote this blog to not make the same mistake! There is only one recommended sim card for Egypt: Vodafone!
Was I satisfied with Etisalat? No, not really! I found out later that Etisalat, after WE has the weakest network coverage in Egypt and rather often the signal was weak. Right in the middle of Cairo, the capital of Egypt I was suffering to find a strong signal and fast data speed! Sorry Etisalat, but I expected better network coverage and faster internet speed.
A friend of mine who had an Orange prepaid sim card for Egypt so I could compare. As expected his network was constantly stronger than mine, especially inside buildings. Etisalat network performance inside buildings was pretty poor and that was in Cairo, imagine outside of the capital. Therefore I would not recommend an Etisalat prepaid sim card for Egypt.
On another trip to Hurghada in 2024 I tested Etisalat again and it was the exact same story. Vodafone had good signal in my resort and on the islands in the Red Sea, the Etisalat signal was either 3G or not working at all.
Why I choose Etisalat again for my Hurghada trip? I arrived late at night and Vodafone and Orange shops were closed. Read more about it in my guide for buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport.
Vodafone has the best mobile data network in Egypt so a Vodafone prepaid sim card for your Egypt trip is the best choice. At Cairo Airport they are slightly more expensive than Orange and Etisalat, but if you want the best performance then buying a Vodafone sim card for Egypt is your best bid. Read more about it in my article about the best prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2024.
I hope all the above tips for buying an Egypt sim card at Cairo Airport were helpful. If you have any additional questions or remarks please leave me a comment below.
Interested in some cool photo spots around Cairo and Egypt then check out my wanderlust fuelling Instagram profile @traveltomtom. See what it is like to travel to every country in the world. As of August 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries.
Enjoy your trip to Egypt!